Where Feet May Fail
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Disney and any other respective owners of the original fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. Also, the title of this piece is taken from the song "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Hillsong United, a song I just found today and knew needed to be a Lumiette story. Enjoy and see the Author's Note for future notes!
Plumette collapses onto her bed, her face buried in her thick blanket as she lets out a little, yet involuntary, whimper. Her legs feel weak; she was barely able to stumble into her bedchambers before the collapse. Lumière gasps softly behind her, springing forward and collecting her petite frame into his strong arms, cradling his dear Plumette gently against his chest.
"Plumette, mon amour," Lumière whispers, pressing a light, delicate kiss to his beautiful love's face.
"Lumière," Plumette sobs, nuzzling her head against his neck, entwining their hands together as she presses her back against Lumière's chest to steady herself. "Something must be wrong with me," she admits, moving one hand to softly trace the outline of her lover's face, re-memorizing every line, every dimple, every square inch of his face after their ten years apart.
"No, no, ma chérie, do not say that in my presence," Lumière gently scolds, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth before he folds his arms securely against Plumette's chest, feeling the soft, billowy material of her feather-soft white dress. "There will never be anything wrong with you, my darling. Not in my eyes," the once candelabra promises, tenderly kissing Plumette's lips as he thoroughly enjoys the sensation he has desired yet has been denied for ten years even though his darling Plumette was only an arm's length away.
Plumette eagerly kisses Lumière, pulling the lapels of his jacket as they move to deepen the kiss containing all the emotion, all the passionate love spilling to the surface. They have ten years' worth of no kisses, no prolonged contact, and no warmth and comforting heartbeats to make up for. Plumette is not sure how many times she kissed Lumière today, as it has been nearly twenty-four hours since their transformation after the curse was broken; the young maid finds she doesn't care for the exact number.
She would never tire of kissing Lumière; Plumette decides here and now she would make the very best out of whatever time she and Lumière have left together on this Earth. Plumette crinkles her nose at the slight smell of smoke, wondering why the kitchen would start preparing the next meal so soon after the last. The once feather-duster opens her soft, chocolate-colored eyes almost immediately, smacking Lumière on the head as tenderly as she can while also being forceful enough to douse the flames beginning to rise from his wig.
"How embarrassing," Lumière laughs, a grin splitting his face as Plumette throws his wig across the floor after stomping out the remaining sparks that threatened to char his favorite accessory. "It appears as though we will need more time to remember how to be human again, eh, mon amour? It seems my hands and head do not yet know not to make flames," he grins, looking down at the amazing woman in his arms.
"Some of us more than others," Plumette mumbles, distracting herself by carding a hand through Lumière's natural auburn hair, admiring the tints of red that always reminded her of sunrise over a hill.
"Plumette, is that what is bothering you, darling?" Lumière inquires, shuffling them forward until they are sitting on Plumette's bed.
"Yes," she admits, her voice barely over a whisper as she cuddles against her lover's side, tucking her head into the crook of his neck.
"Oh, mon amour," he softly says, pressing kisses to every square inch of her face before beginning to rub rhythmic circles on her delicately smooth hands. "You are worried about being able to adjust to being human again?" Lumière asks, concern evident on his face and in his tone.
A moment of silence passes as each lover takes in a breath and listens to two heartbeats beating in time with the other.
Plumette practically collapses, throwing her arms around Lumière's neck, bringing their bodies into closer contact as she sits on one of his legs.
"I can't walk, Lumière!" she sobs, tears falling down her caramel-colored skin and hitting Lumière's shoulder. "I can't walk, mon amour, and it frightens me," Plumette tells the man she loves, visibly relaxing in his embrace as Lumière tightens his hold on her, sending up a silent prayer for strength as the love of his life remains in his embrace, sobs escaping her lips.
"Plumette, darling, you were used to flying for ten years, as a feather-duster, nevertheless," Lumière begins to comfort his one true love, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before continuing. "I am sure it will simply take time for your muscles to remember how to keep up with your passionate and quick-witted spirit and heart," he assures, and Plumette laughs as his mustache tickles against her ear while her Lumière removes the wig, exposing the maid's bouncy, curly, black hair.
"Still smells of strawberries," Lumière comments, tenderly brushing his calloused hand through her raven-black curls.
"Oh, how I've missed your flattery, mon nounours," Plumette smiles, using her old nickname for Lumière, as it is rather common knowledge that the maid cuddles with the maître d' almost as if he is a life-size teddy bear.
It has been a decade since Lumière has heard that nickname, so he can't help but grin and pepper Plumette's face and hands with kisses.
Plumette happily squeals as Lumière takes his hands and mercilessly tickles her sides, nimble fingers resting near her ribs as his love's crystal, melodic laughter fills her bedroom. Oh, how he's missed her. Though Lumière saw Plumette on a daily basis during the curse, unlike Maestro Cadenza and Madame de Garderobe, it was not the same. He could not see her beautiful smile, smell her strawberry-scented curls, or feel the warmth of her caramel skin. He could not hold her in his arms without fear of burning her; he could not hear her melodic laugh as he exposed her greatest weakness that included tickling along her ribs. Worst of all, he could not show her all the love she deserved, from the passionate kisses to the romantic dinners by moonlight and the anniversary gifts. Plumette deserves so much of the world and all of the love Lumière could give, making the once candelabra proud he can now bestow all of his love to Plumette once more. He'd missed everything about the woman in front of him.
"Lumière, stop!" Plumette squeals, falling off of Lumière's leg and onto the bed to where she is now gazing into his beautiful, sparkling blue eyes and mischievous smirk.
"What are the magic words, chérie?" Lumière teases as he leans over her, their hands intertwined and joy on both their faces.
"I love you," Plumette breathlessly says, love sparkling in her eyes. "I love you, Lumière," she utters once more, pouting out her bottom lip.
"I love you so much, Plumette," Lumière agrees, closing the remaining gap between them before capturing her lips with his own, both to their shared pleasure.
Life has meaning once more.
They manage to break apart without Lumière catching on fire this time, much to the relief of both lovers. When the kiss ends out of a necessity for air, Lumière and Plumette are both breathless. Lumière drops down onto the bed, shifting to lie on his side and observe Plumette.
The years had not changed their devotion and their passion for one another.
The years had not changed their love.
"What if my feet fail and I never walk again?" Plumette softly inquires, appearing to be extremely close to tears.
It is then Lumière realizes that they have switched the conversation topic back to the one from earlier. He pauses a moment, allowing Plumette to believe that he chose his next words with upmost precision, even though he had them in mind all along.
"Where your feet fail you, my dear Plumette, my love will always conquer and be there to carry you forward," Lumière promises, light and love shining in his light blue eyes as he wraps an arm around her and presses their foreheads together. "My love will never cease for you, darling."
"Nor will mine," Plumette assures, leaning into his touch. "But I had rather hoped to dance at the upcoming engagement ball for Prince Adam and Mademoiselle Belle."
"Then we better get to practicing."
Though scars from the curse would always haunt them, Plumette and Lumière were strong enough to beat anything as long as they have their love and one another.
Author's Note: And there it is! My first Beauty and the Beast story! What can I say? I re-watched the movie for a second time last week when I bought the DVD, and I thoroughly fell in love once more. I know this next statement isn't going to be very popular, but I loved the 2017 version much better than the 1991 version, which I re-watched last night when it aired on TV. There was so much more depth to the characters; Gaston became my favorite Disney villain thanks to Luke Evans' amazing performance and emotion he gave to Gaston. Before, I did not have a favorite villain. I am almost eighteen, but I love the live-action version more than the animated one. And yet, I feel as though I can still get along with everyone in the fandom, because I respect everyone's point of view, just as I hope you all will respect mine. I definitely love Plumette X Lumière, so expect a lot more stories about them from me! They're a new OTP I never knew I needed, and the best way I know to deal with new OTPs is to write prolifically about them. (I already have around ten other one-shots planned for Lumiette.) As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, and I hope everyone enjoyed! If you have a prompt, feel free to drop it in a review or a PM and I'd be happy to consider it! (Just no M rated stories, please!) That's all for now, dear readers; until next time! XD Have a great day, afternoon, or night!